College hoops betting interest focuses on the Tennessee-Martin vs Murray State battle Thursday at Skyhawk Arena as the Skyhawks look to defend home court and cover the NCAA basketball point spread.

Tennessee-Martin battles the Racers, currently sitting with a 9-3 mark (4-5 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 1-3-1 for the Skyhawks and 3-2 for the Racers.



View Murray State vs Tennessee-Martin Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as 13-point favorites in this one at most sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark, including Sportsbook. The total was set to open a bit later (check out Sportsbook for the latest situation(.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 188-ranked Skyhawks and the No. 31-rated Racers in this matchup. Computer formulas aimed at predicting NCAAB scores point to a 80-63 win for the Racers on Thursday.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Tennessee-Martin's No. 199 nationally ranked offense (66.9 points per game) against a Racers defense that sits as the No. 171 at 66 PPG. The Skyhawks have been averaging 39.4% from the field, less than the Racers have managed so far this season (46.5% on average).

Defensively, Murray State features the nation's No. 153-rated defense on the road, allowing 69.6 points per game. Tennessee-Martin, meanwhile, comes in at No. 192 nationally in scoring at home.

Murray State lost its last outing, a 66-64 result against Valparaiso on December 29. They failed to cover in that game as a 4-point favorite. Murray State got 24 points from Isaiah Canaan but lost anyway, 66-64, to Valparaiso on Saturday at CFSB Center.

In their last action, Tennessee-Martin was a 64-54 loser at home against Jacksonville State. They failed to cover the 5-point spread as underdogs. The Skyhawks got a 22-point effort from Myles Taylor, who added 12 rebounds, but Jacksonville State still managed to defeat Tennessee-Martin 64-54 Monday at Skyhawk Arena.


Murray State Racers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing SE Missouri State are 9-1
After playing Valparaiso are 0-1
After a loss are 7-3

Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 2-8
Before playing Austin Peay are 3-7
After playing Jacksonville State are 3-7
After a loss are 3-7

A few Racers at Skyhawks trends to consider:
Murray State is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Tennessee-Martin
Murray State is 20-3 SU in its last 23 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Murray State's last 6 games when playing on the road against Tennessee-Martin
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Tennessee-Martin's last 8 games when playing Murray State
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tennessee-Martin's last 6 games when playing at home against Murray State
Tennessee-Martin is 5-17-1 ATS in its last 23 games when playing Murray State
Tennessee-Martin is 3-12 SU in its last 15 games at home


Next up:
Murray State at SE Missouri State, Saturday, January 5
Tennessee-Martin at Austin Peay, Saturday, January 5